gall mite

American

noun

a mite of the family Eriophyidae that feeds on plant juices, damaging buds, leaves, and twigs and causing galls and other deformities.

gall mite British

noun

any of various plant-feeding mites of the family Phytoptidae that cause galls or blisters on buds, leaves, or fruit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gall mite

First recorded in 1880–85

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023